


Lonely no more

by killerweasel



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 16:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2115990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerweasel/pseuds/killerweasel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lindsey takes care of a badly wounded Angel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lonely no more

Title: Lonely no more  
Fandom: Angel  
Characters: Lindsey McDonald/Angel  
Word Count: 3,452  
Rating: R  
Warnings: mentions of torture and character death  
A/N: AU after _Dead End_.  
Summary: Lindsey takes care of a badly wounded Angel.

I looked at the piece of paper again while leaning against my truck. Didn’t know how she’d managed to find the post office box I used, but she wouldn’t find the new one. My hand reached back into the trunk, closing on the shotgun I’d stuck in before leaving the house. I’d been a bit paranoid ever since leaving L.A.. Sure, I had tattoos to protect me from the Senior Partners, but those wouldn’t stop anyone else.

Flipping the letter over, I frowned again. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’d been gone for almost a year. Why did she send this gift, whatever it was, to me now?

_Lindsey,_

_You’re a hard man to track down, but I finally managed to do it. I have a thank you gift that I’ve been holding onto for a while now. No, that’s not exactly true. I left it in the care of others that promised to make sure that it was enjoyed to the fullest extent while I worked on finding you._

_I never thanked you for what you did in the office the day you took off. Who would have thought that you’d do something like that? Things in L.A. have really changed lately. Wolfram and Hart is getting ready to open a new branch in Sunnydale. I don’t think the Slayer is prepared for something like us._

_Call me at the number below when you get this message and I’ll make sure your gift finds you as soon as possible._

_Lilah Morgan, Junior Partner_

I didn’t want to know what she’d done to get up that high in the ranks. Lilah could be ruthless when she put her mind to it and I had a feeling she had thinned out thecompetition on her way up. I hadn’t been kidding when I said she’d be perfect for the promotion. She was damn good at what she did, maybe even better than me. I just wasn’t evil enough. It must have been that pesky conscience of mine that kept popping up.

A truck came pulling into the parking lot. The tires screeched as it came to a stop in front of where I was standing. A couple of big guys jumped out and they went right to the back. The hand holding the shotgun started to rise up, but it stopped when the men came back, lugging a large trunk between the two of them. “You McDonald?”

“That’s me.”

“This is a package from Lilah Morgan. Do you want it in the back?”

“Do you know what it is?”

“We just deliver them, buddy.”

If they saw the shotgun as the trunk was loaded in, they didn’t say anything. I scrawled my name on a piece of paper and they took off. Climbing up onto the tailgate, I moved until I was sitting right in front of the clasps. There was no way in hell I’d wait to open this at my house. If it was some kind of a trick, I’d rather find out right now.

I popped open the clasps and opened the lid. What I saw made me retch. Gagging, I turned my head over the side of the truck and lost everything I’d eaten during the day. Wiping my mouth on my sleeve, I leaned in closer, trying not to breathe through my nose. Reaching out cautiously, I touched what was inside. At first there was no response and then I felt the muscles under my fingers move just a little.

Sitting back, I grabbed my cell and dialed a number I’d memorized a year earlier. “Gregory? It’s me. You remember that favor? I’m calling it in. I have a badly injured vampire in serious need of medical attention. It looks like they broke most of the bones in his arms and legs to fit him inside of a trunk. Yeah, he’s been healing. I don’t want to see if I can get him to wake up until after you reset everything. Even a vampire can’t handle that much pain.”

I gave him the address to my house and told him to meet me there in half an hour. Hanging up, I looked inside of the trunk again. “That fucking evil bitch. How long did they have you in there?” Angel couldn’t answer me, not in the state he was in, but it had to have been a while because I couldn’t get his body to budge at all. I’d have to cut him out of it when I got to my place. “Why on earth would she think I wanted this kind of a gift?”

Even if I couldn’t get him out of there yet, I wasn’t going to put the lid back down. I pushed on it until the hinges snapped. After securing the trunk, I closed the tailgate and drove as quickly as I could to my house. There was no reason for this. And if he was in this kind of shape, what had happened to his friends? I suddenly didn’t want to know. If Angel recovered, he might not be sane.

I managed to get the trunk into the house and took it down to the basement as it was the only room without windows. I would need to cover the windows in the house once he’d healed enough to come upstairs. The clothing Angel was wearing had been reduced to rags which barely covered his battered frame.

It took a while to cut through the corners of the trunk without hurting him. He never opened his eyes or made any sounds as I worked, but I knew he couldn’t be dead. If he was dead, he had to be dust, right? The sides of the trunk fell away and I fought to keep my stomach under control when I saw the full extent of the damage to his limbs. Arms and legs weren’t supposed to bend like that.

A wave of magic swept through the house and I knew Gregory had arrived. He came into the basement, took one look at the body I was laying out on a blanket, and all of the color drained from his face. “Who did this?”

“I don’t know. He was shipped to me inside of that trunk over there.”

“Step back, I need to work quickly. Judging by how thin he is, he hasn’t fed in weeks, maybe months. His body has been feeding off of itself to heal and it will be quite some time before he’s close to normal again. Do you have any blood in the house?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t know he was the contents of the trunk. I can probably get some delivered; otherwise I need to go into the city to a butcher’s shop.”

“There’s no time. Once I finish the spell, he will need blood right away.”

“He can have mine.”

Gregory stared at me for a moment. “That should work. You won’t want to watch this.”

He began to chant and the room went dark for a few minutes. I could feel the magic building up. There was a massive flash and when everything brightened again, I heard the sickening cracks of bones being broken. The noises were enough to make me keep my back turned. After another round of chanting, the basement was silent again.

“Everything is back where it belongs. There is damage though. His body has been broken repeatedly without a chance to really heal.”

I crouched down next to Gregory on the floor. “Tell me what I need to do to help him.”

Gregory pulled a dagger out of his belt. “Give me your left arm. And I must warn you, he might not be able to stop himself. As I said, he hasn’t fed in a while.”

“Just do it.”

He sliced my arm opened and I hissed, but didn’t pull away. With his other hand, he propped Angel’s body up and then pressed the wound to the vampire’s mouth. At first all I could see was my blood running down his chin. Then I felt it. Angel’s lips began to suck at the gash.

When I started to feel dizzy, I nudged Gregory with my knee. He tried to pull my arm away, but Angel’s fingers came up, wrapping around my wrist to keep it in place. Everything grew blurry and I reached out with my other hand, shoving his head back as hard as I could. His body went limp and Gregory helped set him back on the floor again. “Is that enough?”

“It will work for now. He will need to rest and then he must feed again. My assistant will be back in an hour with some blood, but after that, you must get your own. I no longer owe you anything.”

“Thank you.”

There was a flash and he was gone. When Angel’s eyes fluttered open, he blinked a few times before focusing on me. “Lindsey?”

“It’s going to be okay. Close your eyes and rest. I’m right here. They won’t hurt you any more.”

“Dead. Demons killed them all. Made me watch. Hurt me. Hurt, blood, pain, so much pain. I couldn’t save them.”

Angel’s frame started to shake, and I moved until I could set his head and shoulders on my lap. “It’s not your fault. Rest.” My fingers came up and stroked his hair until he settled down. In a few minutes, he was asleep. I closed my eyes, but I didn’t let myself sleep.

A soft voice made me open my eyes and I realized I must have dozed off. A small demon was giving me a tiny smile. Angel stirred, but didn’t wake. “I have the blood. Gregory says to give him the contents from one of these every couple of hours. He will still be very weak, but once the blood is in his system, he’ll be on the road to recovery.”

I thanked him and took the package he had in his hand. The assistant vanished in the cloud of smoke. “Angel? I have more blood for you. You need to feed and then you can rest again.”

Angel moaned in his sleep and I ran my fingers along his cheek until his eyes popped open. A shudder went through his frame. “It hurts, Lindsey.”

“I know. I’m going to help you.” Sitting him up enough so that he’d be able to drink, I opened one of the containers and held it to his lips. He drank very slowly, but managed to finish it all.

“Where am I?”

“You’re in the basement of my house. We’re in Wyoming.”

“How?”

“I was told to wait at a certain location for a package. I didn’t know it was you until I opened the trunk.”

“Lilah?”

“Yeah. She said she owed me a thank you present. I didn’t ask for this, Angel. I’ve been in hiding since I left L.A.; I don’t know what this is about.”

His eyes started to flutter again, so I went quiet. “Lindsey? Don’t leave me alone.”

“I won’t. I’m not going anywhere.”

This cycle was repeated until I’d used up all the blood. His color looked a little better and he’d been able to stay awake for longer periods of time. I told him I needed to take care of the windows and then we’d be able to get to the guestroom. Angel didn’t want me to go, so I waited until after sunset before helping him up the stairs.

Once he was in bed, I got to work making the house safe for a vampire. I added blankets to the curtains covering the windows. That would have to do until I picked up some plywood.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I sat down on the bed next to him and wrapped my fingers around his. “You don’t have to, I’ll understand.”

“I...” He looked at me and his expression made my heart ache. “You’re not going to leave me by myself, are you?”

“You want me to get under the covers?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine.” I peeled off my shirt and he frowned at the tattoos. “This is what protects me from the Senior Partners. It keeps me hidden. They weren’t very happy when I took off.”

I kicked my shoes off and got under the sheets, pressing my body against his. “I’ll work on the rest of the house when I get up and I need to get you more blood. I can probably donate some more later, if I have to.”

After I helped Angel with the remains of his shirt, he rolled over, putting his head on my chest. “I keep seeing it in my head, Lindsey. Hearing their screams, feeling their blood against my skin... it never stops.”

“I want you to close your eyes. I’ll help you fall asleep. Just relax, okay?” Clearing my throat, I started to sing softly as I brushing my fingers over his back. It was a song my grandmother had passed down to my mama. She used it to sooth us to sleep when we were upset. I felt the tension slowly leaving his body with each verse until he’d fallen asleep.

\---

“Lindsey?”

Opening an eye, I glanced down at him. “Yeah?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Bite me.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Take the blood from me. I’m not leaving you here to go into the city. It’s an hour drive each way and I have to figure out how to tell a butcher that I need a lot of animal blood without sounding like I’m insane.”

“I don’t bite people.”

“Angel, I’m comfortable right now. I don’t want to get up and walk all the way to the kitchen to get a knife just so I can add another scar to my body. I’ve been bitten before, it isn’t bad. Just stop before you take too much or I’m not going to be very useful.”

“You’ve been bitten?”

“What, you thought my thing with vampires started with you?” I snorted. “Demons, vampires, humans, it’s all the same. Well, other than the fangs or the claws, and those tails. Ever been with someone who has a tail? It makes an evil hand seem like nothing.”

He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. “That’s not an image I wanted in my head.”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” I rotated my arm until the gash was visible. “Just reopen this. It’s already going to scar, I don’t mind.”

For a moment, I didn’t think he was going to do it. Then his face shifted and I found myself reaching for him with my other hand. Angel almost jerked away, but the moment my fingertips slid across the ridges, he went still. “I always wanted to touch you like this.”

“Lindsey...”

Giving him a little smile, I pulled my hand away. “You sure you can stop?”

“I’ll stop.”

He brought my arm to his lips and I shivered as his tongue slid over the healing wound. Fangs brushed lightly over the skin and he gave my arm a little squeeze as a bit of a warning before sinking them deep into my flesh. I groaned at the sensation. It had been a while since I’d let a vampire do something like this. It wasn’t just feeding; it was always more than that. Blood was life, it was power, it was sex, and the pain and pleasure from it rolled into one big thing that made you want to have it happen again and again.

As he drank, I let my eyes drift closed. “I should have kept up with what was going on in L.A., but I wanted to put all of that behind me, so if I could handle being normal for a while. The only trouble is what I had back there, that’s normal for someone like me. I love this place. I love the property and the view. It’s just... quiet. And I’ve been alone for a while.”

Even after his fangs pulled loose, he continued to drink. I started to feel dizzy, so I reached out and brushed my fingers against his cheek. Angel slowly pulled away, but not until he’d run his tongue back and forth over the wound to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “You okay?”

“Nothing a little breakfast won’t fix. I won’t be donating any more blood for a couple of days, so I’ll have to see if I can contact someone later. Maybe they can deliver.”

“When you feel up to it, do you think you can help me into the bathroom? I could really use a shower.”

“Are you strong enough to stand on your own yet or would you like some assistance?”

“Admit it. You just want to see me naked.”

I coughed and looked at the wound on my arm for a moment. “You’ve got me all wrong. I’m innocent, Angel. I’m as pure as the freshly fallen snow.”

His jaw dropped and then he started to laugh. Once he started, he didn’t seem to want to stop. “Innocent. You. Fallen snow. That’s a good one.”

By the time he shut up, I was giving him a glare that could have melted steel. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“I’m so glad that I could amuse you.” After he sat up, I slowly got off of the bed. My legs wobbled a bit and the room seemed to spin, but it was only temporary. “Come on, I’ll help you. Put your weight on me if you need to. You’re heavy, but you’re not _that_ heavy.”

He leaned on me and we made our way into the bathroom. “I don’t suppose you have any clothing that would actually fit me? I’m not exactly your size.”

“I have a few things, but they’ll be tight. When I go into the city, you should come with me and shop. I know I’d end up getting you the wrong things.”

“I don’t think I’m up for that yet, Lindsey.”

“Planning on wandering around my house naked then? Once I get the windows covered, no one will see you. Well, other than me.”

“You’ve got a one track mind.”

“I told you I’ve been lonely.”

“I don’t think I’m for anything like that either.”

“Now who has the one track mind?”

He gave me a little smile and I returned it. Once we were inside of the bathroom, he braced himself on the sink while I worked on getting both of us undressed. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you don’t wear anything under your jeans?”

“All those times you were pressed up against me and you never noticed?”

“I just figured it was a stake in your pocket.”

I snorted before laughing. Turning on the water, I adjusted the temperature and then waited for him to get in first. Angel used the wall to walk over, but he started to wobble a little and I caught him before he fell. “Shit. Guess I’m not as strong as I hoped I’d be yet.”

“Give it time. I don’t know how long they had you inside of that damn trunk. Your muscles are shot to shit. I’ll give you a massage when we finish in here, see if that helps a little.”

“You know how to give massages?”

“I know a lot of things. I’m a man of many, many talents.”

We stepped under the spray and he leaned against the shower wall while I cleaned him off. Starting at his feet, I kept my touches gentle in case his body still hurt. I worked my way up, pausing when my fingertips brushed against his cock. “You can stay here for as long as you want, Angel. And if you need to leave, that’s fine. I have money put away; you can get a plane ticket back to L.A. or wherever.”

He reached down with one hand, tilting my face up so he could see it. “I’ll stay at least until I’ve recovered, maybe longer. Depends on how quickly we get one another’s nerves.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

I straightened up, added more lotion to the cloth and wiped it over his shoulders and chest. “I’m sorry about your friends and what happened to you. If I’d still been there...”

“It’s not your fault and it’s not my fault. This was all Lilah. It was a trap and... I can’t talk about it yet, but I will.”

He leaned down, resting his forehead against mine. I brought my hand up, curling my fingers around the back of his neck. “It’s going to be okay, Angel. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”


End file.
